2015 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS)

Congress Center Hamburg

Sept 28 - Oct 2, 2015. Hamburg, Germany

Variable Stiffness Actuator for Soft Robotics Using Dielectric Elastomer

and Low-Melting-Point Alloy
Jun Shintake1,2 , Bryan Schubert1 , Samuel Rosset2 , Herbert Shea2 and Dario Floreano1

Abstract— A novel variable stiffness actuator composed of a

dielectric elastomer actuator (DEA) and a low-melting-point-
alloy (LMPA) embedded silicone substrate is demonstrated. The
device which we call variable stiffness dielectric elastomer ac-
tuator (VSDEA) enables functional soft robots with a simplified
structure, where the DEA generates a bending actuation and
the LMPA provides controllable stiffness between soft and rigid
states by Joule heating. The entire structure of VSDEA is made
of soft silicones with an elastic modulus of less than 1 MPa
providing a high compliance when the LMPA is active. The
device has the dimension of 40 mm length × 10 mm width ×
1 mm thickness, with mass of ∼1 g. We characterize VSDEA
in terms of the actuation stroke angle, the blocked force, and
the reaction force against a forced displacement. The results
show the controllable actuation angle and the blocked force up
to 23.7 ◦ and 2.4 mN in the soft state, and 0.6 ◦ and 2.1 mN in
the rigid state. Compared to an actuator without the LMPA, 10 mm VSDEA
VSDEA exhibits ∼90× higher rigidity. We develop a VSDEA
gripper where the mass of active parts is ∼2 g, which is able
to successfully hold an object mass of 11 g, exhibiting the high Fig. 1. Developed gripper, consisting of two VSDEAs, holding a plastic
performance of the actuator. dish filled with metal washers of mass 11 g in its rigid state (mass of active
parts is ∼2 g). The operating procedure of the gripper can be seen on [28].
I. I NTRODUCTION
[9], [10], shape memory polymers [11], [12], and low-
Soft robotics, an approach where robots are made from melting-point alloys (LMPAs) [5]. However, these examples
compliant materials, is a new trend that has demonstrated use external parts to provide air pressure, electromagnetic
many potential applications, such as legged locomotion and field, and temperature, respectively, which could lead to
grasping of fragile objects with a simple structure and control a complicated structure. Shape memory alloy could be a
[1], [2], and biomimetic structures and locomotion [3]. candidate as it is able to change its stiffness by Joule-
Additionally, soft robots have a number of advantages over heating directly, but it exhibits a small relative stiffness
traditional robots, such as improved mechanical robustness change (∼2.3×) and a high absolute stiffness (13 GPa elastic
[4]. modulus in martensite phase) [13].
Controllable stiffness can be an important function for soft In this paper, we demonstrate a novel variable stiffness
robots to exert large forces to environments, and to withstand actuator composed of a dielectric elastomer actuator (DEA)
external loads while keeping their shape. This function has [14], [15] and a LMPA embedded in a silicone substrate.
enabled multi-task movement [5], adapted terrestrial loco- The device, which we call variable stiffness dielectric elas-
motion [6], handling of various objects [7], and improved tomer actuator (VSDEA), can change the stiffness by direct
dexterity in manipulation [8]. Toward further development Joule-heating of the LMPA, and the DEA provides bending
of these types of functional soft robots, one approach is to actuation. The entire structure is made with soft silicone
use variable stiffness actuators in which the actuation and the with elastic modulus of less than 1 MPa, providing a high
controllable stiffness are provided by a single device, thus compliance. As an application to demonstrate the usefulness
drastically simplifying the robotic structure. Technologies of the VSDEA, we also develop a gripper shown in Fig. 1
related to this purpose in the literature are based on jam- where the actuators act as fingers.
ming [6]–[8], electrorheological/magnetorheological fluids DEAs and the LMPA substrate are further explained in
section II. The mechanism, the fabrication process, and
This work was supported by the Swiss National Centre of Competence the characterization results of the VSDEA, and a further
in Research (NCCR) Robotics, and the Swiss National Science Foundation
grant 200020-153122. explanation of the gripper are shown in section III, followed
1 J. Shintake, B. Schubert and D. Floreano are with the Laboratory of
by the discussion and the conclusions in section IV.
Intelligent Systems (LIS), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Route
Cantonale, Lausanne 1015, Switzerland. jun.shintake@epfl.ch II. DEA AND LMPA SUBSTRATE
2 J. Shintake, S. Rosset and H. Shea are with the Microsystems for
Space Technologies Laboratory (LMTS), École Polytechnique Fédérale de DEAs consist of an elastomer membrane sandwiched
Lausanne, Rue de la Maladière 71B, Neuchâtel 2000, Switzerland. between compliant electrodes. Applying a voltage to the elec-

978-1-4799-9994-1/15/$31.00 ©2015 IEEE 1097

trodes leads to generation of opposing charges on both sides (a) Pre-stretched DEA
of the membrane which cause area expansion and thickness
reduction as the actuation. DEAs are soft (∼1 MPa), thin Silicone matrix
(from several tens of µm) therefore lightweight, fast (kHz
LMPA channel
bandwidth [16]), and exhibit large actuation strokes (over
1000 % of area strain [18]), and multi-functional capabilities: LMPA substrate
switching and self-sensing capability [15], [17]. On the other (b) Electrode
hand, DEAs usually generate low forces, and a high voltage V
(a few kV) is necessary for the actuation. DEAs have been
applied for robotic applications including legged robots [19], Elastomer
[20], a multi-segmented snake-like robot [21], grippers [22],
[23], an airship propelled by fish-like movement [24], and a Electrode
micro air vehicle [25].
We previously developed LMPA substrate which showed
Soft state
a relative stiffness change of > 25× (elastic modulus of
40 MPa in the rigid state, and 1.5 MPa in the soft state),
and a fast transition from rigid to soft states (< 1 s) at
a low power (< 0.5 W) [26]. The substrate is made of
a LMPA channel encapsulated in a silicone matrix where (i) LMPA: ON (ii) LMPA: ON
the LMPA changes its phase between solid and liquid by DEA: OFF DEA: ON

direct Joule-heating. Therefore, varying degrees of stiffness

of the structure, between fully rigid and completely soft, are
achieved efficiently as a function of the input power. The
transition speed, power consumption, and both the absolute
and the relative stiffness depend on the geometry of the (v)
LMPA channel and the silicone matrix. The LMPA substrate LMPA: OFF
DEA: OFF
can also act as a strain sensor by measuring its change in (iv) (iii) LMPA: OFF
resistance due to changes in geometry.
Rigid state DEA: ON

The DEA and the LMPA substrate can be made with
silicone, and this inherent material compatibility eases the
fabrication process of the VSDEA and simplifies the struc-
ture.
III. VARIABLE S TIFFNESS ACTUATOR
A. Mechanism
VSDEA consists of a pre-stretched DEA attached onto
a LMPA substrate, as shown in Fig. 2(a). We explain the
actuation mechanism using Fig. 2(b). Even though the LMPA
substrate can vary the stiffness as a function of the input
power, in the rest of this paper we consider only the two
extreme cases for the LMPA: solid and liquid. When the
LMPA is activated, Joule-heating changes the phase of the
alloy from solid to liquid, resulting in a soft state. At this
state, (i) the entire structure is bent with a radius of curvature
that minimizes the total energy of the device (i.e. the strain
energy of the DEA and the bending energy of the substrate).
(ii) Applying a voltage to the DEA while keeping the LMPA
soft leads to a bending actuation towards the flat state, due
to the electrostatic energy of the DEA which shifts the total
energy. The amount of the bending can be controlled by the
voltage on the DEA. (iii) If the LMPA is deactivated but
the DEA is kept active until the structure becomes solid,
(iv) a rigid state for a desired bending (or flat) shape can be
achieved. At this state, the device can sustain its rigid shape
without any input power. From this state, other rigid shapes,
e.g., (v), can be achieved by activating the LMPA through
the state (i). Rigid states (iv) and (v) mean the device is able
(c)
Fig. 2. Mechanism of VSDEA. (a) The actuator consists of a pre-stretched
DEA attached onto a LMPA substrate. (b)(i)The activation of the LMPA
makes the structure soft, resulting in a bending shape. (ii) At this state,
applying a voltage to the DEA leads to a bending actuation toward the flat
shape. (iii)(iv) Deactivation of the LMPA keeps a desired bending shape.
(v) Re-activation of the LMPA through state (i) allows changing of the rigid
shape. (c) Bidirectional actuation can be obtained by putting another DEA
on the other side of the LMPA substrate.
to rigidify all the shapes that are achievable in the soft state.
In addition, the actuation of VSDEA can be extended to
bidirectional movement when another DEA is placed on the
other side of the LMPA substrate, forming an antagonistic
configuration as shown in Fig. 2(c). In this configuration, the
DEAs start actuation from fully pre-stretched state, meaning
that the actuation strain is beyond the pre-strain. Therefore,
the performance of the actuator such as actuation stroke and
output force will be different from that of the unidirectional
configuration (Fig. 2(b)).
As a bending DEA, the actuator configuration presented
here (use of a pre-stretched DEA and a silicone substrate) is
similar to the dielectric elastomer minimum energy structures
(DEMESs) that use a flexible substrate with a hole [22].
DEMESs are also able to achieve bidirectional movement
[27]. However, our configuration has several features that dif-

1098
 Cross section (width) Cross section (length)
(a)
DEA
fabrication
(b)
(c)
(d)
LMPA
substrate (e)
fabrication
(f)
DEA membrane PMMA Silicone mold
Polyimide Electrode PLA
Fig. 3. Fabrication process of VSDEA. (a) The DEA elastomer is cast and (b) pre-stretched followed by (c) the patterning of the electrodes. (d) PLA is
printed onto a PMMA mold to form the geometry of the LMPA channel. (e) Fill the mold with Ecoflex. (f) Hot liquid LMPA was filled inside the Ecoflex
negative mold. (g) A soft silicone is put in a PMMA mold to encapsulate the LMPA. (h) Place the LMPA and fill the same silicone. (i) After the curing,
bond the LMPA substrate to the DEA. (j) Place wires and then silicone glue over the connections.
fer from DEMESs. (1) The high compliance of the structure
provides better physical adaptability to environments (e.g.,
conformation of gripper fingers to the object being held).
(2) The absence of a hole eases the fabrication and the de-
signing (e.g., layout of the LMPA channel), and improves the
robustness as the DEA is covered by the substrate. (3) The
use of silicone allows encapsulation of the LMPA into the
substrate. (4) Bidirectional movement can be achieved with
simpler structural configuration, just adding another DEA,
contrary to DEMESs that require additional parts [27].
B. Fabrication Process
We fabricated the actuators used for the characterization
according to the fabrication process shown in Fig. 3(a)-(j).
The DEA and the LMPA substrate are made separately at
first, and then they are bonded together at the end of the
process. For the DEA, we used a silicone elastomer (CF19-
2186, NuSil Technology). (a) The elastomer was cast on
a polyimide sheet using a film coater (ZAA2300, Zehnt-
ner) and a film applicator (ZUA2000, Zehntner) forming
a membrane with thickness of ∼45 µm after the curing at
temperature of 80 C◦ . (b) The membrane was then pealed-off
from the sheet, stretched uniaxially, and held in an acrylic
(PMMA) frame. (c) Subsequently, electrodes composed of a
soft silicone and carbon black were applied on the both sides
using a pad-printing machine (TPM-101, Teca-Print).
For the LMPA substrate, (d) Polylactide (PLA) forming
the geometry of the LMPA channel was printed on the bot-
tom plate of a PMMA mold using a 3D printer (Replicator 2,
MakerBot). (e) The mold was then filled with a silicone
(Ecoflex 0030, Smooth-On). (f) After the curing, the Ecoflex
negative mold was placed on a stainless steel plate and the
hot liquid LMPA was filled inside using a syringe through a
1099
Cross section (width) Cross section (length)
(g)
LMPA
substrate
fabrication
(h)
(i)
VSDEA
assembling
(j)
Steel Silicone substrate Wire
LMPA Conductive tape Silicone glue
punched hole. The LMPA we used has a melting temperature
of 47 C◦ (Cerrolow 117, HiTech Alloys). Once cooled, the
molded LMPA was carefully separated from the Ecoflex
negative mold. Then, the LMPA was annealed above the
melting temperature to achieve a more favorable low-energy
shape, as opposed to the forced shape of the mold. This step
minimizes separation of the alloy in the final device due
to poor wetting to the silicone encapsulation. During this
step, the temperature of the steel plate was controlled using
a hot plate. (g) To encapsulate the LMPA, a soft silicone
(Silbione LSR 4305, Bluestar) was put in a PMMA mold.
The amount of the silicone determines the position of the
LMPA in the substrate in the thickness direction. (h) Before
the filled silicone was cured completely, the molded LMPA
was placed on the top, and the same silicone was filled again.
The adhesion of the non-fully cured silicone prevents the
movement of the LMPA until the entire structure is cured.
(i) After the curing of the silicone at room temperature,
the LMPA substrate was carefully separated from the mold,
and bonded to the DEA prepared at (c), using oxygen
plasma surface activation (Zepto plasma system, diener). The
DEA was equipped with the electrical connections using a
conductive tape and a conductive silver epoxy. (j) The entire
structure was cut from the PMMA frame and the electrical
connections for the LMPA were formed using electrical wire.
After that, a silicone glue (Sylgard 734, Dow Corning) was
put on the electrical connections to ensure their connection
and to prevent the leakage of the LMPA when it is in the
liquid phase.
Fig. 4(a) shows the fabricated VSDEA. The device has
a dimension of 40 mm length × 10 mm width × 1 mm
thickness with mass of ∼1 g, where the LMPA forms
one continuous channel with equally-spaced lines of width
0.45 mm and thickness of 0.3 mm, covering an area of
35 mm × 8 mm. The DEA has active area of 29 mm × 8 mm.
VSDEA is flat after the fabrication, and the activation of the
LMPA substrate leads to a bending shape due to the pre-
stretch of the DEA. When compared to an actuator without
the LMPA, the rigidity is visible where a nut of mass 2 g is
supported (Fig. 4(b)). On the other hand, the device can be
compliant when the LMPA substrate is activated (Fig. 4(c)).
For the fabricated actuator, the heating time necessary to
melt the LMPA is ∼30 s at a power input of ∼1 W. The
heating time can be shorten by increasing the input power.
On the other hand, even the time to cool back the LMPA
below melting takes ∼30 s, more than ∼60 s is necessary to
cool the actuator back to room temperature. This is due to
the fact that the cooling depends on convection between the
surface of the LMPA substrate and the surrounding air [26].
C. Characterization
1) Experimental setup: We measured the actuation stroke
angle, the blocked force, and the reaction force against a
forced displacement of the actuators. Fig. 5(a) inset shows
a bending actuation of the VSDEA in the soft state. The
actuation stroke angle we took is defined as the tip angle
difference from the initial shape i.e., no applied voltage. The
actuator was placed in the direction minimizing gravity ef-
fects. A CMOS camera and image processing with MATLAB
were used to obtain the angle value. The blocked force and
the reaction force were taken by putting the probe of a load
cell (UF1, Applied Measurement Limited) to the actuator tip
perpendicularly at the initial shape (Fig. 5(b) inset). During
the characterization, the power input for activating the LMPA
substrate was kept at ∼0.5 W, while the applied voltage for
the DEA was varied from 0 to 3 kV.
2) Results: Fig. 5(a) shows the measured actuation stroke
angle as a function of the DEA applied voltage for the
soft and the rigid states. 6 samples were measured and the
average was taken. In the soft state, the actuator showed
voltage-controllable actuation with the maximum angle range
of 23.7◦ at 3 kV. On the other hand, the rigid state exhibited
almost same shape over the DEA applied voltage, only 0.6◦
angle difference was observed at 3 kV, representing the high
bending stiffness of the structure. Fig. 5(b) shows the mea-
sured blocked force as a function of the DEA applied voltage
for the rigid and the soft state. Same as the angle, 6 samples
were measured and the average was taken. Both the states
showed similar maximum force at 3 kV (2.4 mN for the soft
state, and 2.1 mN for the rigid state). The larger deviation in
the rigid state may have resulted from the alignment errors
of the load cell probe and the small actuation angle of the
actuator preventing accurate measurement.
Fig. 5(c,d) show the actuation stroke angle and the blocked
force as functions of the DEA applied voltage for one
actuator with 5 cycle measurements. The actuator exhibited
good repeatability, only a small hysteresis was observed, and
this is due to low viscoelasticity of the silicones used for the
actuator.
1100
(a)
Connections for LMPA
LMPA substrate
DEA
Fabricated VSDEA
VSDEA after activation
10 mm
(b) (c)
Actuator without LMPA
VSDEA (rigid) VSDEA (soft)
Fig. 4. Fabricated VSDEA. The actuation has an overall dimension of
40 mm length × 10 mm width × 1 mm thickness. (a) The activation of the
LMPA substrate results in a bending shape. (b) Compared to an actuator
without the LMPA, the rigidity of VSDEA is visible. (c) The compliance
of the device is clear when the LMPA substrate is activated.
Fig. 5(e) shows the measured reaction force as a function
of the forced displacement of the load cell probe externally
moved by a motorized stage from the initial shape of the
actuator. In this measurement, a VSDEA and an actuator
without LMPA were used. To clarify their rigidity difference,
we estimated the spring constant of the devices k using a
least squares method applied to the data on the range of
1-3 mm (linear part). The spring constant k is defined as
k = Fr /xd , where Fr and xd are the reaction force and the
forced displacement, respectively. The fitted lines based on
the calculation are shown in Fig. 5(e). The spring constant
of the VSDEA was obtained as 23.3 mN/mm, and was ∼90
times larger than that of the actuator without the LMPA
(0.26 mN/mm).
D. Two-finger gripper
As an application of VSDEA, we developed a two-finger
gripper shown in Fig. 1 to demonstrate the usefulness of the
actuator. The gripper consists of two VSDEAs connected
via plastic parts to act as fingers. Each finger is the same
actuator characterized in the previous subsection, therefore,
the mass of the active parts of the gripper is ∼2 g. The
ability of the gripper was demonstrated by picking up an
 30 3
Tip angle
Load cell

Actuation stroke angle [deg]

25 2.5

Blocked force [mN]

20 2
Gravity Gravity

15 1.5

10 1
Rigid state Rigid state
Soft state Soft state
5 0.5

0 0
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000
DEA applied voltage [V] DEA applied voltage [V]
(a) (b)
25 2.5
80 VSDEA (rigid)
Angle (increasing V) Force (increasing V) Linear fit: VSDEA (rigid)
Actuation stroke angle [deg]

20 Angle (decreasing V) 2 Force (decreasing V) 70 Actuator w/o LMPA

Reaction force [mN]

Blocked force [mN]

Linear fit:
60 Actuator w/o LMPA
15 1.5
50
10 1
40

5 0.5 30

20
0 0
10

-5 -0.5 0
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 0 1 2 3 4 5
DEA applied voltage [V] DEA applied voltage [V] Forced displacement [mm]
(c) (d) (e)

Fig. 5. (a) Measured actuation stroke angle as a function of the DEA applied voltage. Inset shows actuation of a VSDEA in the soft state. The actuation
stroke angle was measured as the tip angle difference from the initial shape. In the soft state, the power input for the LMPA was kept ∼0.5W. The
maximum actuation range was observed as 23.7◦ for the soft state, and 0.6◦ for the rigid state at 3 kV. (b) Measured blocked force as a function of the
DEA applied voltage. The blocked force was measured by putting the load cell probe on the tip of the actuator. Similar maximum force was observed
for both states: 2.4 mN for the soft state, and 2.1 mN for the rigid state. For the stroke angle and the force, the averages and standard deviations are
from measurements of 6 samples. (c) Result of 5 cycle measurements of one sample on the actuation stroke angle and (d) the blocked force. The actuator
showed good repeatability. (e) The reaction force as a function of the forced displacement. The rigidity of the VSDEA led to a clear difference compared
to an actuator without the LMPA. The dashed lines represent the spring constant of the devices obtained by a least squares method.

object, a plastic dish filled with metal washers mass of 11 g. structure leads to a high design flexibility of the actuator.
A linear motorized stage was used to provide up and down The gripper we developed shown in Fig.1 has demonstrated
motion of the device. In the soft state, the gripper wraps the a practical use of VSDEA illustrating its high performance.
fingers around the object by the actuation of the DEA. After
solidifying the fingers, the gripper successfully picked up the There are other potential applications where the actuator
object thanks to the high rigidity. The full procedure of the could be applied. Since the device does not require any power
gripper demonstration described above can be seen on [28]. input to sustain the rigid state, this feature may contribute
to the perching of mobile robots, e.g., a flying robot where
IV. D ISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS the available power source is limited [29]. The controllable
A novel variable stiffness actuator VSDEA has been stiffness allows us to have variable mechanical impedance
developed. The actuator performs voltage-controlled bending which would enable various dynamic behaviors of the sys-
actuation with large deflection (23.7◦ ) and good repeatability tem e.g., asymmetric deformation of a periodically actuated
in the soft state. In the rigid state, it can maintain a fixed structure could produce one way thrust like a jellyfish [30].
shape, and it has a much larger spring constant (∼90×) The current structure of VSDEA does not limit segmentation
compared to an actuator without LMPA. The fact that both of the DEA and the LMPA. This means that even from a
the actuation and the controllable stiffness are generated from single device, multi-degree-of-freedom actuation could be
a simple composite is a key novelty of VSDEA. The simple generated. Especially the segmentation of the LMPA may

1101
enable local stiffening of the robot, which could be used
for dextrous manipulators (e.g., [8], [31]) and endoscopes
(e.g., [32]). The self-sensing capability of both the DEA and
the LMPA substrate in VSDEA would support controlling of
those applications.
Our future work includes further characterization of VS-
DEA including the bidirectional configuration such as the
detailed stiffness change, the response speed of the actua-
tion, and heating/cooling time. Modeling of the device for
establishing design and optimization principles on both the
actuation and the variable stiffness characteristics should also
be carried out. Also, scalability should be studied to facilitate
the creation of larger and smaller structures.
VSDEA is a new technology that will contribute to the
development of highly adaptable soft robots thanks to its
simplicity and multifunctionality.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors would like to thank O. A. Araromi,
S. Mintchev, and T. Akiyama for their helpful comments
and discussions. This work was supported by the Swiss Na-
tional Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) Robotics,
and the Swiss National Science Foundation grant 200020-
153122.
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